(706-word review) There were two things, more than anything else, at the front of my mind after finishing this film.
First.) It was a tad too long. The first one was similar, maybe longer, but I don't remember having the prominent thought of its length after it was over. That's likely because I was more invested; it was the first film, so everything about it was "fresh." But everything about it was the sort of thing that only works once; you can't/shouldn't repeat it, and that's what this film did: more of the same, more or less.
That made the length stand out more, on top of the slow start, the apparent attempt at coming across as well-put-together with the various angles and perspectives to the story instead of sticking to the three leads, and the underwhelming attempt at giving depth to Michael Bryce, which was lame and soiled everything else.
Second.) I was focused more on the soundtrack and trying to connect each song I liked to their respective scene in my head to find them later. That had more of my attention than the intended-to-be-serious-but-we'll-still-turn-it-comedic melodramatic story beats. Don't do lame stuff like that. It's a bore, making you roll your eyes.
Either be more competent with the humor and have a good balance with whatever else, including the tones, or go balls to the wall with the carnage and ridiculousness in an efficient manner. That element sucked the potential fun out of what could've been if the writers leaned more into the three leads as a trio.
Instead, it was a duo for the most part, comprised of romantic drivel between Darius and Sonia, with Michael side-lined a bit and the whole getting-my-license-back/backstory-ish mumbo jumbo, which was done for comedic effect (aka intended-to-be-serious-but-we'll-still-turn-it-comedic), and needless to say, it was done poorly.
As far as other aspects are concerned,
The fight choreography by Danko Jordanov (?) left plenty to be desired; however, the worst culprit regarding the lack of efficiency with the fight sequences was the choppy editing by Michael J. Duthie and Jack Hutchings, which was also erratic at times throughout the film, not only during the fight sequences.
The score by Atli Örvarsson was so-so. Disappointing due to his résumé; his score in the first film, barring remembering incorrectly, was the same. Maybe hearing each cue individually and by themselves will change the overall impact for me.
Terry Stacey's cinematography was the only half-decent aspect besides the soundtrack, thanks to Ryan Svendsen's appreciation-worthy work as the music supervisor. There are some beautiful shots, complimentary of the scenery.
Also, the other characters (Aristotle Papdopolous, played by Antonio Banderas; Bobby O'Neill, played by Frank Grillo; Crowley, played by Caroline Goodall; Ailso, played by Alice McMillan; Morgan Freeman's character; and the three supporting antagonists: Veronika, played by Gabriella Wright/Zento, played by Kristofer Kamiyasu/Magnusson, played by Tom Hopper, who'd make a good Westley if there's ever a remake of The Princess Bride and sounds similar to Henry Cavill) were all underwhelming, and a waste, adding to the feeling of tediousness.
Still, this film isn't devoid of being entertaining; the second half was undoubtedly superior to the first half, but the showdown(s) at the end was lame and reminiscent of the first half's mediocrity.
Some moments landed, like some of Bobby O'Neill's scenes ("Hey, Ivan Drago." - "What'd you say? What'd he say?" > "What the fuck did you just say?" - "Hmm. What do they call you?" > "Ailso." > 'Asshole'? - "Alright, William Wallace. Warm up the chopper." - "And if you don't understand what she says, well, welcome to the fucking club." - "You're gonna fist Kincaid's glory hole?"); the underutilization of Frank Grillo was criminal.
Oh, and what's that? Spoiler alert? Most of those moments that landed had Michael, Darius, and Sonia together on screen, like Michael's dream sequence and the final scene before the credits, except there were only a few within the total amount; even when the writers understood the point of the trio's vital importance to the film's enjoyment, they dropped the ball often.
Mild entertainment (if only slightly) without significant and efficient competence, especially concerning the utilization (or lack thereof) of your three leads, slam-dunk capable, yet the ball is dropped.
Review by LineageBlockedParent2023-05-20T20:09:30Z
(706-word review) There were two things, more than anything else, at the front of my mind after finishing this film.
First.) It was a tad too long. The first one was similar, maybe longer, but I don't remember having the prominent thought of its length after it was over. That's likely because I was more invested; it was the first film, so everything about it was "fresh." But everything about it was the sort of thing that only works once; you can't/shouldn't repeat it, and that's what this film did: more of the same, more or less.
That made the length stand out more, on top of the slow start, the apparent attempt at coming across as well-put-together with the various angles and perspectives to the story instead of sticking to the three leads, and the underwhelming attempt at giving depth to Michael Bryce, which was lame and soiled everything else.
Second.) I was focused more on the soundtrack and trying to connect each song I liked to their respective scene in my head to find them later. That had more of my attention than the intended-to-be-serious-but-we'll-still-turn-it-comedic melodramatic story beats. Don't do lame stuff like that. It's a bore, making you roll your eyes.
Either be more competent with the humor and have a good balance with whatever else, including the tones, or go balls to the wall with the carnage and ridiculousness in an efficient manner. That element sucked the potential fun out of what could've been if the writers leaned more into the three leads as a trio.
Instead, it was a duo for the most part, comprised of romantic drivel between Darius and Sonia, with Michael side-lined a bit and the whole getting-my-license-back/backstory-ish mumbo jumbo, which was done for comedic effect (aka intended-to-be-serious-but-we'll-still-turn-it-comedic), and needless to say, it was done poorly.
As far as other aspects are concerned,
The fight choreography by Danko Jordanov (?) left plenty to be desired; however, the worst culprit regarding the lack of efficiency with the fight sequences was the choppy editing by Michael J. Duthie and Jack Hutchings, which was also erratic at times throughout the film, not only during the fight sequences.
The score by Atli Örvarsson was so-so. Disappointing due to his résumé; his score in the first film, barring remembering incorrectly, was the same. Maybe hearing each cue individually and by themselves will change the overall impact for me.
Terry Stacey's cinematography was the only half-decent aspect besides the soundtrack, thanks to Ryan Svendsen's appreciation-worthy work as the music supervisor. There are some beautiful shots, complimentary of the scenery.
Also, the other characters (Aristotle Papdopolous, played by Antonio Banderas; Bobby O'Neill, played by Frank Grillo; Crowley, played by Caroline Goodall; Ailso, played by Alice McMillan; Morgan Freeman's character; and the three supporting antagonists: Veronika, played by Gabriella Wright/Zento, played by Kristofer Kamiyasu/Magnusson, played by Tom Hopper, who'd make a good Westley if there's ever a remake of The Princess Bride and sounds similar to Henry Cavill) were all underwhelming, and a waste, adding to the feeling of tediousness.
Still, this film isn't devoid of being entertaining; the second half was undoubtedly superior to the first half, but the showdown(s) at the end was lame and reminiscent of the first half's mediocrity.
Some moments landed, like some of Bobby O'Neill's scenes ("Hey, Ivan Drago." - "What'd you say? What'd he say?" > "What the fuck did you just say?" - "Hmm. What do they call you?" > "Ailso." > 'Asshole'? - "Alright, William Wallace. Warm up the chopper." - "And if you don't understand what she says, well, welcome to the fucking club." - "You're gonna fist Kincaid's glory hole?"); the underutilization of Frank Grillo was criminal.
Oh, and what's that? Spoiler alert? Most of those moments that landed had Michael, Darius, and Sonia together on screen, like Michael's dream sequence and the final scene before the credits, except there were only a few within the total amount; even when the writers understood the point of the trio's vital importance to the film's enjoyment, they dropped the ball often.
Mild entertainment (if only slightly) without significant and efficient competence, especially concerning the utilization (or lack thereof) of your three leads, slam-dunk capable, yet the ball is dropped.